连续测量法同时测定空气中222Rn子体与220Rn子体浓度

222Rn子体浓度可通过测定母体222Rn浓度,根据平衡因子进行大致估算.由于220Rn及其子体之间并不存在相对稳定的平衡因子,因此,若要准确获得220Rn子体浓度,需借助仪器通过累积、连续测量进行测定.文章应用我国不常见的工作水平监测仪(working level monitor),同时实现空气中222Rn子体与220Rn子体的累积连续测量,从而计算得到两者浓度.通过借助液体闪烁仪的参照比较,验证了此法同时测量空气中222Rn子体与220Rn子体的准确性与可靠性.     

Localization of the binding site for the human high-affinity Fc receptor on IgG

A major pathway in the clearance of pathogens involves the coating of the pathogen with specific antibodies, and the binding of the antibody Fc region to cell receptors. This can trigger engulfment of the pathogen by phagocytes or lysis by killer cells. By oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis we have engineered a single amino acid change in a mouse IgG2b antibody (Glu 235----Leu) which now enables the antibody to bind to the FcRI (high affinity) receptor on human monocytes with a 100-fold improvement in affinity. This indicates that Leu 235 is a major determinant in the binding of antibody to FcRI and that the receptor may interact directly with the region linking the CH2 domain to the hinge. Tailoring the affinity of antibodies for cell receptors could help dissect their role in clearing pathogen.     

Effect of chronic treatment with mescaline upon tissue levels of the drug

Zusammenfassung Bei chronisch behandelten Ratten war die Mescalin-Konzentration in Gehirn und Leber niedriger als bei akut behandelten Tieren. Die Hemmung der Monoaminooxydase durch Vorbehandlung mit Pargylin erhöhte signifikant die Mescalinmenge in der Leber. Ferner liessen die Untersuchungen den Schluss zu, dass die MAO oder andere Aminooxydasen, die durch Pargylin gehemmt werden, nicht die Hauptrolle bei den beobachteten Veränderungen in den Gewebekonzentrationen spielen.

---

---

Acknowledgments. This work was supported in part by Research Grant No. 15406 from the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Sethy was the recipient of a Henry C. and Bertha H. Buswell Research Fellowship from the State University of New York at Buffalo.     

The effect of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on intestinal transport of calcium in vivo and in vitro

Zusammenfassung 8 Stunden nach Injektion von 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol bei rachitischen Ratten steigerte sich der Kalzium-Transport des Duodenum in vivo wie auch in vitro bedeutend. Während dieser Zeit war Vitamin D₃, wirkungslos. 24 h nach der Injektion stimulierten beide Verbindungen in ähnlichem Masse den Kalzium-Transport.     

Fraser syndrome and mouse blebbed phenotype caused by mutations in FRAS1/Fras1 encoding a putative extracellular matrix protein

Fraser syndrome (OMIM 219000) is a multisystem malformation usually comprising cryptophthalmos, syndactyly and renal defects. Here we report autozygosity mapping and show that the locus FS1 at chromosome 4q21 is associated with Fraser syndrome, although the condition is genetically heterogeneous. Mutation analysis identified five frameshift mutations in FRAS1, which encodes one member of a family of novel proteins related to an extracellular matrix (ECM) blastocoelar protein found in sea urchin. The FRAS1 protein contains a series of N-terminal cysteine-rich repeat motifs previously implicated in BMP metabolism, suggesting that it has a role in both structure and signal propagation in the ECM. It has been speculated that Fraser syndrome is a human equivalent of the blebbed phenotype in the mouse, which has been associated with mutations in at least five loci including bl. As mapping data were consistent with homology of FRAS1 and bl, we screened DNA from bl/bl mice and identified a premature termination of mouse Fras1. Thus, the bl mouse is a model for Fraser syndrome in humans, a disorder caused by disrupted epithelial integrity in utero.     

On the Role of Counterfactuals in Inferring Causal Effects

Causal inference in the empiricalsciences is based on counterfactuals. The mostcommon approach utilizes a statistical model ofpotential outcomes to estimate causal effectsof treatments. On the other hand, one leadingapproach to the study of causation inphilosophical logic has been the analysis ofcausation in terms of counterfactualconditionals. This paper discusses and connectsboth approaches to counterfactual causationfrom philosophy and statistics. Specifically, Ipresent the counterfactual account of causationin terms of Lewis's possible-world semantics,and reformulate the statistical potentialoutcome framework using counterfactualconditionals. This procedure highlights variousproperties and mechanisms of the statisticalmodel.     

Relation between fibrinolytic activity and prostacyclin generation of atherosclerotic artery and dacron prosthetic graft

Summary The newly formed tissue of dacron vascular prosthetic grafts implanted in humans demonstrates prostacyclin generation and fibrinolytic activity comparable to that of the atherosclerotic artery in the vicinity. This provides some evidence that both activities important for haemostasis run parallel.     

The Fanconi anaemia gene FANCF encodes a novel protein with homology to ROM

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is an autosomal recessive disorder with locus heterogeneity. None of the 'responsible' genes have previously been identified. Some BBS cases (approximately 10%) remain unassigned to the five previously mapped loci. McKusick-Kaufma syndrome (MKS) includes hydrometrocolpos, postaxial polydactyly and congenital heart disease, and is also inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. We ascertained 34 unrelated probands with classic features of BBS including retinitis pigmentosa (RP), obesity and polydactyly. The probands were from families unsuitable for linkage because of family size. We found MKKS mutations in four typical BBS probands (Table 1). The first is a 13-year-old Hispanic girl with severe RP, PAP, mental retardation and obesity (BMI >40). She was a compound heterozygote for a missense (1042GA, G52D) and a nonsense (1679TA, Y264stop) mutation in exon 3. Cloning and sequencing of the separate alleles confirmed that the mutations were present in trans. A second BBS proband (from Newfoundland), born to consanguineous parents, was homozygous for two deletions (1316delC and 1324-1326delGTA) in exon 3, predicting a frameshift. An affected brother was also homozygous for the deletions, whereas an unaffected sibling had two normal copies of MKKS. Both the proband and her affected brother had RP, PAP, mild mental retardation, morbid obesity (BMI >50 and 37, respectively), lobulated kidneys with prominent calyces and diabetes mellitus (diagnosed at ages 33 and 30, respectively). A deceased sister (DNA unavailable) had similar phenotypic features (RP with blindness by age 13, BMI >45, abnormal glucose tolerance test and IQ=64, vaginal atresia and syndactyly of both feet). Both parents and the maternal grandfather were heterozygous for the deletions. Genotyping with markers from the MKKS region confirmed homozygosity at 20p12 in both affected individuals.